Will conduct over 1L tests daily: CM
New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday evening announced that the Delhi government would be in collaboration with the Centre increasing daily COVID-19 tests to above 1 lakh in the coming days, after attending a high-level COVID-19 review meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.
As the third wave of the pandemic continues to rage on here, Shah chaired a meeting on Sunday, which was attended by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and L-G Anil Baijal.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, the CM said the Centre had agreed to add 750 ICU beds in the city, which will include 500 of them being operationalised at the Dhaula Kuan DRDO COVID-19 hospital in the next two days. He said that the other 250 beds will be added in the next few days as well.
"Testing will be increased from the current 60,000 per day to 1 lakh to 1.25 lakh per day, with the ICMR's help," CM Kejriwal said, adding that the state government has been working at its maximum capacity hence ICMR's assistance would be needed.
He said, "250 beds will be made available on Monday followed by 250 beds on Tuesday and remaining 250 on Wednesday." Kejriwal added that the Delhi Government will also increase ICU beds in the existing health facilities with the Centre's assistance in providing BiPAP machines.
The CM said that Delhi High Court on Thursday had allowed the state government to reserve 80 percent of ICU beds in 33 private hospitals for
Covid 19 patients. "After October 20, the number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi is increasing at a very high rate. Right now we have a sufficient amount of COVID-19 beds in Delhi but the scarcity is with ICU beds," he said.
The meeting was conducted to discuss measures to control the spread of the disease in the Capital and the CM has also asked the Centre to intervene in the matter of pollution and take serious steps to stop stubble burning, a Delhi government official said on account of anonymity. Shah had chaired a series of meetings and directly intervened after the spike in Covid-19 cases were reported in June and July.
On Friday, Kejriwal had said in a virtual press conference that the current pandemic situation in the city will be brought under control "in the next 7-10 days." Kejriwal and Delhi's Health Minister Satyendra Jain had earlier said that the Capital was is in the middle of a "third wave" of Covid-19 cases.
The Delhi government has already been taking measures to curb the spread of the virus which included a ban on the sale of firecrackers till November 30 and prohibiting the celebration of Chhath Puja in public places — which falls on November 21-22. Schools in the city have also been directed to remain closed till further orders.
